The UtahPolicy.com daily newsletter gets you up to speed on the top local and national news about politics and public policy. Send news tips or feedback to bschott@utahpolicy.com, or message us on Twitter.

Situational awareness - September 24, 2019

Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City

Thanks for reading Utah's must-read daily political news rundown. Please encourage your friends and colleagues to sign up for our emails.

Here are the stories you need to pay attention to this morning:

• Utah voters say those convicted of violent misdemeanors should be barred from owning a gun.
• Stewart says Democrats need to pump the brakes on impeachment talk because they have "no credibility" on the issue.
• Trump froze aid to Ukraine just days before he reportedly pressured that country's leader to investigate a political rival,

Let's talk!

We've started a discussion group on Facebook dedicated to Utah politics.

Join here.

Giveaway!

I've got tickets to "Disaster! The Musical!" at the Empress Theater in Magna to give away to some of our lucky readers. The show runs from October 4-19. I'm playing Maury in the production.

Send me an email to be entered into a drawing to win.

TICK TOCK

Days to the 2019 Utah municipal elections: 42 (11/5/2019)

Days to the first day of the 2020 Utah Legislature: 125 (1/27/2020)

Days to the Utah presidential primaries: 161 (3/3/2020)

Days to the 2020 Utah primary elections: 273 (6/23/2020)

Days to the 2020 election: 406 (11/3/2020)

Today At Utah Policy

OTHER UTAH HEADLINES

Deseret News

• Op-ed: What we can learn from the way Republicans and Democrats view paid family leave
• Editorial: Look to Utah for lowering college tuition
• Can multimillion-dollar, multi-agency suicide awareness campaign lower Utah's suicide rates?
• Just 1 year to go until Salt Lake City's new $3.6B airport opens
• Rep. Chris Stewart: 'Take a breath' over Trump call with Ukraine leader
• Joe Biden coming to Utah for fundraiser Saturday
• Draper, Salt Lake County celebrate conservation of 4,500 acres
• Ogden counselor hopes to turn Rep. Rob Bishop's seat blue in 2020
• Can solar cover 20% of U.S. energy needs in the next decade? These industry leaders think so

Salt Lake Tribune

• Robert Gehrke: Salt Lake's after-school mess is a strain on parents, and it should be starting a dialogue
• Development planned south of Moab could mean thousands more residents, double the population of San Juan County
• Salt Lake City mayoral candidates Erin Mendenhall and Luz Escamilla on the issues
• Utah leaders announce $2 million suicide prevention campaign
• Jamie Cheek first Democratic candidate to announce run for Rep. Bishop's seat
• New $3.6B Salt Lake City airport opens in 1 year
• Gov. Herbert signs medical cannabis amendments into law

Other

• Lt. Gov. Cox joined by business, faith leaders give financial kickstart to suicide prevention campaign (Daily Herald)
• Clearfield leaders fine-tuning redevelopment plans, mayor envisions 'a new city' (Standard-Examiner)

---

---

NATIONAL HEADLINES

Ukraine scandal

President Donald Trump ordered a hold on nearly $400 million in military aid just days before pressuring the Ukranian president to investigate Joe Biden's son [NYT].

House Democrats are discussing creating a "select panel" to investigate impeachment of President Trump [Daily Beast].

If the White House doesn't turn over a secret whistleblower's complaint, the House may move into full impeachment mode [Politico].

7 freshman Democrats in swing districts penned an op-ed Monday night saying if the allegations against Trump are true, they represent an impeachable offense [WaPo].

---

Brexit

The U.K. Supreme Court ruled British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's suspension of Parliament was unlawful [NYT].

---

Trump's taxes

New York prosecutors rejected President Trump's claim of "sweeping immunity" from criminal investigations while he remains in office [Politico].

---

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court will decide this term whether the Civil Rights Act of 1964 guarantees protection from workplace discrimination for gay and transgender people [NYT].

---

Yikes!

The FBI arrested a U.S. soldier who discussed plans to attack a major American news network, shared instructions online on how to build bombs and suggested Democrat Beto O'Rourke could be a target of violence [NYT].

---

2020

The Democratic National Committee raised the requirements for presidential hopefuls to make the debate stage in November. So far, 11 candidates have qualified for the October debate [NYT].

---

Hmmm...

President Trump said Monday he should be given the Nobel Prize "for a lot of things." He also whined that the committee that decides the awards does not operate fairly [WaPo].

---

Unexpected casualty

U.S. universities say they have seen a decline in the number of students from China because of President Trump's trade war [AP]

---

Feds investigating Juul

Federal prosecutors are probing whether Juul used social-media and other marketing techniques to appeal to minors [WSJ].

---

Climate change

The prime minister of Barbados warned a changing climate will result in a mass migration of refugees within the next several years [HuffPost].

---

---

---

BUSINESS HEADLINES

• Op-ed: How the new trade pact with Mexico and Canada benefits Utah (Deseret News)
• North America's largest energy show is coming to Salt Lake City (Deseret News)
• FDA approves 'fast track' for Utah-based DiscGenics (Deseret News)
• Why Utah has a 'once in a generation' opportunity unique to any other place in the world (Deseret News)
• Vivint Smart Home to merge with arm of Japanese investment giant SoftBank (Deseret News)

---

---

Policy News

SBA awards WTC Utah $500,000 State Trade Expansion Program Grant
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that World Trade Center Utah (WTC Utah) will receive a $500,000 grant to support export growth among small businesses through SBA's competitive State Trade Expansion Program (STEP).

---

The Road Home invites Salt Lake community to the 33rd annual Chili Affair
The 33rd Annual Great Salt Lake Chili Affair returns on Wednesday, October 2, from 5:30 8:30 p.m. at The Salt Palace Convention Center, 100 South West Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah.

---

---

More National Headlines

• ABC's Jon Karl on Hunter Biden's Ukraine Business: 'If His Name Was Hunter Smith He Probably Wouldn't Be Getting Paid' (RealClearPolitics)
• GOP Challenger Bill Weld Floats Death Penalty For Trump Over Ukraine: 'The Only Penalty for Treason is Death' (Mediaite)
• Emmy Viewership Falls Under 7 Million For First Time To All-Time Low Update (Deadline)
• How the mainstream media downplay left-wing violence (Commentary)
• Joe Biden versus the internet (Spectator)
• Most Hawaii residents say state elected officials don't care about them (Star Advertiser)
• Focus group women like Warren's policies more than her (Axios)
• College students think world will end in 12 years (College Fix)
• Biden Attacks Warren: 'She's Going to Raise People's Taxes' (Americans for Tax Reform)
• The World's Wealthiest Families Are Stockpiling Cash as Recession Fears Grow (Bloomberg)
• Media's legal defeats trouble First Amendment advocates (Politico)

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1789 - Congress passed the First Judiciary Act, establishing the Supreme Court of the United States as a tribunal made up of six justices who were to serve on the court until death or retirement. The number of judges became nine in 1869.

1957 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock, Ark., to enforce the Supreme Court's desegregation decision.

1959 - President Dwight Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev met at Camp David.

1960 - The USS Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was launched at Newport News, Va.

1968 - "60 Minutes" premiered on CBS.

1969 - The trial of the so-called Chicago 8, later to be known as the Chicago 7, began for eight men accused of taking part in anti-Vietnam War protests during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Some of the accused were convicted, but all were overturned.

Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers.

Advertise With Us